Package sealing and opening means



June 8, 1943. J..C. DENSE ET AL 5 5 PACKAGE SEALING AND OPENING MEANS Fiied July 15, 1942 7 4 RIP CORD I N ADHESIVE W A RIP CORD 3 ADHESIVE 4 f v/ /l v A 4 2 PAPER Jack Dense" John H. Craft Jr.

\INYENIORSV ATTORNEY.

Patented June 8,

. uui'rsp STAT MEANS Jack o. Dense and mm H. Craft, in, Rochester, N. Y., assignors to Defender Photo Supply 00., Y., a corporation. of New Ina, Rochester, N. York Application July 15, 1942,8erial No. 451,078

This invention relates to improvements in package sealing and opening means, with particular reference to structures for sealing boxes containing sheets orphotographic papa, a d has for. its purpose to aiford practical and economical means enabling eflective sealing either at the corners or on a flat surface of a package and which facilitates breaking the seal by a rip cord when the package is to be opened.

Heretofore in sealing photographic paper containing packages and-the like, it has been customary to employ a sealing strip with a rip cord or seal-breaking instrmnentality extending beyond both ends of the strip for accessibility in opening the packagecr to apply a rip cord so thatone end projects beyond the sealing flap,

.- whereby the cord is accessible for breaking the seal and opening the package, but both these procedures require time andcare in applying the rip cord to the sealing strip or in securing the strip to the package with the rip cord extending beyond it and accessible, and it is a particular object-or the invention 'to afford a sealing and opening means in the form of a continuous strip which can be severed at any point to provide a sealing strip of any desired length ,for.

quick application to a box or package and so constructed that one or more portions 'of the rip cord are always accessible irrespective of the length of the strip or how it is secured to the package, and without'requiring any special attention on the part of the operator to position the rip cord for this purpose.

Another object of the invention is to afiord a structure that enables manufacturing a continuous sealing strip and rip cord in an economical and practical manner, such that the strip may be cut to afiord either a piece which when secured to a package leaves the rip cord accessible at both ends of the sealing stripor a piece having the rip cord accessible at a point between its ends without special attention on the part of the operator.

To these and other ends, the. invention consists in the construction and arrangement of parts that will appear clearly irom the follow- Y ing description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, the novel features of the invention being pointed out inthe claims following the specification. e

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a'plan view of a sealing strip constructed inaccordance with a preferred embodiment or the invention;

3 Claims. (Cl. 229-51) Fig. 2 is a sectional view on the line 2-4 of Fig. l; 7 Fig. 3 is a sectional view on the line 8-8 of Fig. 1,

Fig. 4 a perspective view oi'one edge of a f box, illustrating how the sealing strip is cut and applied over such edge when the rip cord is to be accesible at both-ends, and

Fig. 5 is a similar view showing the rip cord accessible at a point between the ends of the sealing strip.

In sealing photographic paper containing packages, the practice has been to attach to a sealing strip of given length a rip cord that extends beyond both ends of thesealing strip so that when the latter is attachedto the box or package, the rip cord is accessible at both ends of the strip, or according to another procedure, to provide a rip cord of indeterminate length extending'around the package and of such length that it is extended under and beyond the final sealing flap.

"In the first instance, the sealing strip and rip cord must be cut to predetermined relative 'lengths and attached to each other, and withthe other procedure mentioned, the operator must have the rip cord extending beyond the sealing flap when the latter is finally secured, but with the present invention, the sealing strip can 'be available in a continuous roll and the operator can cut from the roll any desired length of strip according to the size of the package and attach it without regard to the :ri cord,:one Or more portions of which will always be accessiblev for breaking the seal and opening the package.

In the construction shown, which is exemplary of one embodiment of the invention, l designates a continuous strip of paper or. other suitable material having openings 2, preferably elongated in form, and cut therethrough at spaced intervals endwise oi thestrlp and between the opposite edges thereof. The strip .i is provided on one surface with a coating 3 of suitable adhesive material which preferably cov-- era the entire surface of the strip, while 4 designates a rip cord or tearing element of other suitable construction extending endwise of the strip I over the opening 2, and preferably intermediate the sides of said openings. 1

The-rip cord 4 is attached to the strip I all along the latter and between the openings 2 pret erably throughout its entire length by means of the'adhaivecoatingi- The rip cord 4 may be applied to the strip I in any convenient manner and according to one practical method, the adhesively coated sur-- face of the strip I with the openings 2 previously formed therein is moistened endwise along,its

central area andthe cord 4 is brought in con-v tact therewith continuously as the strip is wound on a coil. e a

with this arrangement, the rip cord is secured throughout its length to the sealing strip except between the limits of the openings 2 where the rip cord is always accessible. The sealing strip may be cut of! in any lengths, and when secured to a box or" package, the rip cord is length, the opening 2' can occur between its, ends as shown in Fig. 5. If desired to have the rip cord accessible at both ends of the sealing strip, the strip is cut through adjacent openings 2 and when secured to the package, the rip cord can be engaged at either end of the sealing strip as shown in Fig. 4. If preferred, for boxes or packages of particular size, the openings 2 can be provided at selected distances apart in the sealing strip i so that when out through two adjacent openings 2, the strip will be of the proper length to fit a particular package, although it will be obvious that the, sealing str p may be ei'iectively applied to any package eitherto the ,edge of a box or to a flat surface and will successfully function to close such package and to aflord means by which the seal can quickly and easfly be-broken for opening the package.

While the invention has been described with reference to the detailed construction shown, it is not limited to-such precise .arrangement, and this application is intended to cover any modiflcations or 'departures coming within the intent of the improvement or the scope of the following claims,

We claim: s 1. Package sealing and opening means comprising a continuous strip having openings arranged at intervals in alinement endwise thereof and between its opposite edges, adhesive material on one face of the strip, and a rip cord extending endwise of the strip across said openings and centrally thereof on the same side as the adhesive material and secured to the strip all along the latter, said openings being of a size to permit access to the cord.

2. Package sealing and opening means com prising a continuous strip having openings arranged at intervals in alinement endwise thereof and between its opposite edges, adhesive ma- .terial covering one face of the strip, and a rip arranged at intervals in aiine ent endwise there of and between opposite edges of the strip, ad-

hesive material covering one face of the strip. and a rip cord extending endwise of the strip across said openings and centrally thereof on the same side as the adhesive material and secured by said adhesive material to the strip all along y the latter and between said openings, said-openpermit access to the cord.

JACK c. DENSE. JOHN H. cnar'r. JR.

ings being of a size to 

